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Uncertainty

The above image is one that I discovered recently and for the longest time I pondered over how best to use it. Taken by itself, the photographer’s intent isn’t clear. The more that I thought about it, I felt inexplicably attached to this picture – perhaps it was due to the ambiguous meaning or message. That’s why the title of this particular post is “Uncertainty,” because that’s exactly how I feel about this photo.

I initially assumed that it would be another skinny-dipping illustration. By the second or third time that I looked at it, I noticed that the man was crawling – whether along the shore or beach or crawling from the water onto shore – with an uncertain look on his face. “Do I proceed or just stay here?”

I continued to browse other pictures but also kept coming back to this one. I thought that perhaps I might notice something that I’d not noticed before that would immediately give me clarity as to the purpose. Yet every time, the meaning still eluded me.

Perhaps the photographer’s intention was to remain evasive and capture our attention for that very reason. Perhaps the model’s intention was to convey uncertainty and doubt.

We’ll never know.

One thing that I do know is that this image continues to remain inside my mind. I constantly think about its obscure meaning. Maybe the photographer had no purpose in posing this scene than just showcasing one of his favorite models. Maybe he created it in order to confound me until the end of my days.

It haunts me. The more that I think about it – the more that I actually like it. Perhaps uncertainty is what was intended all along!

3 thoughts on “Uncertainty”

Yeah, I get it…meaning, I understand what you’re saying, Rog. I too, have encountered several uniquely interesting, if not downright curious or peculiar, photos in my search for [quality] photos to save in my photo library or post/share on each of my blogs. Such photos have often caused me to spend many minutes just looking at it; taking a careful study to that which my eyes see. Sometimes I have to flip the photo itself either horizontally, vertically, or upside-down to challenge my visual point of view and see if my mental perception and understanding will alter in some way.
In my experience, I’ve learned that sometimes a photo (like many of the paintings and sculptures around the world that art enthusiasts and experts consider to be and/or classify as “art”, can be worth more than a mere “thousand words”. I’ve found this to be particularly true when the photographer or the artist of a particular work isn’t immediately present to take questions from admirers, doesn’t bother to explain his/her work, or is reluctant to provide any brief spoken or written comment to explain the meaning of a photo and/or why they chose to photograph their subject the way they did.
Regarding some of the many photos, videos, paintings, sculptures (and even some music) picked up by our senses, perhaps we should try to consider that the point of some photographs or pieces of imaginative work, is that there may in fact be no rhyme nor any reason behind it not any to support its concept. Sometimes, a work of art – even a mere photograph, simply is.
Anyway, nice photo! Thanks for sharing!
Naked hugs and a gentle tug. 😎